Christian's latest return saw Captain Charisma earn a spot in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match on February 23. For most, that would signal the beginning of a main event push that would give fans a reason to get excited about their favorite wrestler.

Unfortunately for Christian, that is not the case.

No, Christian will not be on the receiving end of a big main event run, nor will he get anywhere near the WWE title after his stint in next Sunday's big match comes to an end. Instead, he will settle back into the midcard, where he languished for the majority of the past two-and-a-half years.

With The Shield and The Wyatt Family engaged in a six-man tag match at Elimination Chamber and Batista and Alberto Del Rio poised to do battle elsewhere on the card, he was one of the few legitimate former champions the company could place in the Chamber match that they have not already done nearly irreparable damage to (Ziggler and Miz, I'm looking at you).

According to F4WOnline.com (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com), there were even plans to replace Christian via an injury angle if a better option presented itself:

Right now the plan is for Christian to be in the match but his spot was given to him with the idea that if they come up with someone better, Christian will be taken out with an attack and "injury." Right now no Superstar is booked to take Christian out but there is an angle in place if WWE changes plans.

That news piece alone tells fans everything they need to know about where Captain Charisma stands with WWE management.

Clearly, they see him as a valuable asset, but they definitely do not see him on par with the top stars in the company. He is a utility player who does what he is asked to do, does so tremendously and often falls victim to changes in booking.

He also, unfortunately, has fallen victim to several injuries over the past three years, meaning that creative and management is unable to rely on him to fill a headlining spot on the card.

There is no denying the talent Christian possesses. But talent only gets guys so far in the world of sports entertainment. For whatever reason, he has never been perceived as a top-level star for Vince McMahon's wrestling company.

And that will not change in 2014, with a roster full of young, talented and healthy stars.